NORTH LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police said they have located a 9-month-old baby girl who was inside an SUV that was stolen from a post office in Margate, Tuesday afternoon.
According to Margate Police, a woman pulled her BMW X1 into the post office, located at 4706 Coconut Creek Parkway, just after 5 p.m., and left her vehicle running with the child inside as she went into the building.
When she returned to the car, the woman told police, she saw what she described as a black male in his late teens entering her vehicle and driving away with the infant in the back seat.
“That’s awful!” said onlooker Juliet Logan.
Police said the thief ditched the X1 about four miles away with the child still inside the vehicle, at an apartment complex located at 6300 Hawkins Road, in North Lauderdale.
Good Samaritan Jona Wells called 911, and officers swarmed the area shortly after. “My son said, ‘That looks like the car that’s on TV with the baby in it,'” she said.
Wells shot cellphone video capturing the dramatic moments after the stolen vehicle was recovered. “Thank God the baby is OK, thank God the baby is OK,” she is heard saying in the footage.
Wells said she initially thought the child was dead. “The way the baby was slumped over in the chair, it’s like she wasn’t alive,” she said.
“It was scary,” said area resident Crystal Sylvester. “I was definitely like, ‘What’s going on?’ You know?”
Skyforce HD captured a Margate Police officer holding the infant, who appeared to be in good condition.
Some Army soldiers also responded to the scene. The woman’s BMW has a U.S. Army tag.
The 9-month-old was put into a police SUV until fire rescue crews arrived. The child was then put in the back of a North Lauderdale Fire Rescue truck, where paramedics checked the infant out.
7News cameras showed the infant’s mother holding her baby inside the rescue truck. The girl was later seen being held by her father.
Police said the SUV thief remains at large. They said he’s between 18 and 20 years old, with short hair.
When asked what he would say to the man accused of stealing the SUV, area resident Andrae Wilson replied, “I would say that they’re insane, and they’re definitely looking for trouble.”
“Lock them up and throw away the key,” said Logan. “I mean, we don’t need these types of people in the world.”
If you have any information on the thief’s whereabouts, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $3,000 reward.
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